Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | BETHESDA
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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech (5-4/1-1 WAC) will reach the halfway point on its season long five-game homestand this Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers host Bethesda University (0-10) inside the Burns Arena (4,779).

The Trailblazers enter Saturday's game looking to halt a two-game slide after they dropped a 77-67 decision to in-state foe Weber State last Saturday.  

Utah Tech is one of two teams (Abilene Christian) currently in the WAC that features four players averaging double figures in points through the first nine games of the season. 

In addition, Utah Tech is the only team in the WAC with three players listed in the conference's top-10 in scoring. 

Meanwhile, the Trailblazers are ranked SECOND-NATIONALLY, behind only No. 11 Utah, in made 3-pointers per game (11.1 3FGM/g), and are t-seventh in the NCAA D-I ranks with 100 made 3-pointers overall.  

Utah Tech is currently 35-37 (.486) during its four-year D-I transition period, which is slated to end at the close of the 2023-24 academic year.

UTAH TECH VS. BETHESDA: Saturday's game against Bethesda will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and the Lion Angels on the basketball court. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech could not protect a first-quarter lead as the Trailblazers dropped a 77-67 home decision to in-state foe Weber State last Saturday afternoon.
            Utah Tech led 23-17 heading into the second period, only to see the Wildcats open the frame with a 12-3 spurt. Weber State would go on to outscore the Blazers 24-10 on its way to a 41-33 lead at the halftime break.
            The Trailblazers made it a two-possession game with a bucket to open the second half, but the Wildcats rattled off a 20-6 run to open up a 20-point advantage at 61-41 with three-plus minutes to go in the stanza. 
            Utah Tech managed to pare the Weber lead to single digits in the fourth, but the deficit proved to be too much to overcome as the Blazers lost their second-straight to open their pre-Christmas homestand.
 
HEAD COACH JD GUSTIN: JD Gustin is in his eighth season at the helm of the Utah Tech Women's Basketball program.
            Gustin has seen marked improvements in each season on the Trailblazer sideline, culminating with an 19-12 overall record last season, a nine-win turnaround from the previous season. The 2022-23 campaign also featured a 10-8 mark and a fifth-place finish in Western Athletic Conference play. In addition, the Trailblazers made their WAC Tournament debut in 2022-23, and advanced on to the quarterfinal round by defeating Utah Valley, 72-68, to win their first-ever NCAA Division-I era postseason victory. 
            Utah Tech's 19 wins last season were the most in the program's current NCAA Division-I transition, and is the highest win total during Coach Gustin's seven-year tenure on the Trailblazer bench. 
            In Utah Tech's final Division II season, the Trailblazers played to an 18-12 under Gustin. The team also capped that 2019-20 season by clinching a berth in the 2020 RMAC Tournament, marking the first time the Trailblazers had qualified for a conference tournament since the 2013-14 season. The Trailblazers entered the tournament as the No. 7 seed, and shocked second-seeded Western Colorado in Gunnison, Colo., for a 65-60 win in the RMAC Quarterfinals.
 
THE REST OF THE STAFF: This past April, Gustin announced the promotion off all three members of his coaching staff. 
            Gustin elevated two of his assistants, Matt Thune (second season at Utah Tech)and Nicole Yazzie (eighth season at Utah Tech), to associate head coach designations, while assistant coach Candace Thornton (second season at Utah Tech) will also serve as the program's recruiting coordinator. 
            
GILLEN THE ONE TO WATCH IN 2023-24: Coming off a banner senior season in 2022-23, fifth-year guard Breaunna Gillen entered her final collegiate campaign with a pair of well-deserved preseason honors to her credit. 
            In October, Gillen was voted as the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year, and was named to the 25-player preseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year, presented by Her Hoop Stats. 
            Gillen is the lone WAC representative on the Hammon watch list, which includes women's basketball student-athletes from 23 teams and 16 conferences overall. 
            Last season, Gillen was either at or near the top of the WAC scoring list throughout the entire 2022-23 campaign en route to first team all-WAC honors, wound up as the conference's second leading scorer at 17.8 points per game. 
            The fifth-year guard finished last season as the WAC's leader in assists at 6.45 apg, and finished in the top-10 overall in assist/turnover ratio (2nd; 1.77), field goal percentage (5th; .438), and free throw percentage (10th; .744).
 
TRAILBLAZERS PICKED FOURTH THE WAC: Utah Tech was picked to finish fourth in the 2023-24 WAC women's basketball preseason coaches poll, which was released on Oct. 15. 
            Grand Canyon received six of a possible 11 first place votes and 93 total points to be tabbed as the WAC preseason favorite, while defending regular season and tournament champion Southern Utah collected the other five first place nods to finish second in the poll with 87 points.
            California Baptist (83 pts) was picked to finish third, followed by Utah Tech (71 pts) in fourth, Stephen F. Austin (61 pts) in fifth, Abilene Christian (54 pts) in sixth, UT Arlington (53 pts) in seventh, UTRGV (42 pts) in eighth, Tarleton (22 pts) and Utah Valley (22 pts) tied for ninth, and Seattle U (17 pts) was picked to finish 11th. 
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 239-straight games, which included 17 made threes in the season opener vs. La Verne (11/6), along with 12 more trifectas vs. CBU back on Dec. 6.
            The 17 made treys vs. La Verne (17-of-38; .447) tied for the third-highest single game total in program history, which, coincidentally, was the same number of perimeter jumpers the Blazers hit in last season's win over La Verne (11/26/22).
            In the 2021-22 season, the Trailblazers nailed a school-record 22 3-pointers in its 107-57 blowout win over Life Pacific (11/9/21).
            That record was one of two 3FG school records to fall that night as the Blazers also broke a team record for 3FG attempted (51). 
            Utah Tech has reached double figures in made 3-pointers 89 times during the program's NCAA era, including in six of its nine games this season, and in a school-record 19 games last season. 
            In fact, the Trailblazers broke single season school records for 3FGM (310), 3FGA (898), and 3FG% (.345) last year.
            In all, Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 447 of its 450 games during its NCAA era, which began in the 2006-07 season.
            Two of the three instances when the Blazers did not hit a three happened during the 2013-14 season (vs. Hawai'i-Hilo, 2/13/14; at California Baptist, 1/18/14), and the other came in the program's first NCAA season in 2006-27 (vs. UHH, 1/7/07). 
            Meanwhile, Utah Tech has surrendered at least one made opponent 3-pointer in 449 of 450 games during its NCAA era. 
 
DEFENSE DOES TRAVEL: Utah Tech broke a single-game record for fewest points allowed in a quarter when the Trailblazers held New Hampshire to only three third-quarter points in their win back on Nov. 22.
            The Trailblazer defense limited UNH to 1-of-16 shooting in the period, this after the Wildcats missed their final nine shots to close out the second quarter. UNH shot a paltry 26.5 percent (18-of-68) from floor overall, which included a 7-of-35 (.200) clip in the second half. The Wildcats were also just 2-of-25 (.008) from beyond the arc.
            Utah Tech's previous school record for fewest points allowed in a quarter was four points set three times - coincidentally all on the road. In fact, the last occurrence came last season in the Blazers' road win against, again coincidentally, Weber State (3Q; 12/17/22).  
            Meanwhile, the Blazers achieved the feat two other times during their Division II era, both in the fourth quarter of road victories at UT-Tyler (W, 75-41; 11/8/2019) and at Holy Names (61-44; 2/20/16).
 
GILLEN ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN: Fifth-year guard Breaunna Gillen continued her march up the Utah Tech career charts last Saturday vs. Weber State as she became the fifth player in program history to play in 100 career games. 
            Gillen now stands only eight games shy of becoming the program's career leader in games played (Kaylah Miller - 107, 2011-15), and is on pace to do so when the Trailblazers host Utah Valley on Saturday, Jan. 20. 
            Gillen added another career achievement to her impressive list last week vs. CBU (12/6) when she became Utah Tech's all-time leading scorer on a straight away 3-pointer with 6:13 remaining in the third quarter. 
            Gillen (1,237 pts) finished with 16 points on the night, which gave her 1,217 career points, five clear of former Blazer guard Johnna Brown (1,212; 2009-11, 12-13), who held the record for more than a decade. 
            Gillen (469 FGM), who in the season opener vs. La Verne (11/6) vaulted past Brown (433) to the top of the program's field goals made list, also became the Utah Tech career leader in field goals attempted (1,060) in the UVU win back on Dec. 2, passing former Blazer guard Kaylah Miller (1,034; 2011-15). 
            Gillen is already far-and-away Utah Tech's career assist leader with 436 dimes and counting, and she is now within striking distance of three more career record standards. 
            In addition to the games played record, the fifth-year guard is on track to become the program's career leader in games started (4th - 77, needs 5 more), and steals (6th - 106, needs 43 more). 
            Gillen has also joined both Brown (1,212 pts/232 assts) and Miller (1,055 pts/200 assts) as the only three players in program history with 1,000 career points and at least career 200 assists.
            
TRAILBLAZERS NOTES
* - Gillen posted her team-high third 20-point game of the season in the Weber State loss last Saturday ... though she was just 4-of-12 from the floor, Gillen did go a perfect 10-of-10 (career best) from the foul line, and tallied seven rebounds, three assists and a season-best four steals.
* - Gillen's 10 made free throws were one off of her career high of 11 that she set twice last season, the first time at Kansas City (11/18/22), and again a month later against, coincidentally, at Weber State (12/17/22).
* - Gillen also became just the third different Trailblazer to go at least a perfect 10-of-10 at the line, and she's the first to do so since former Blazer Haley Holmstead set a school record with a 12-of-12 day at the foul line vs. Dominican (3/6/14) in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Pacific West Conference Tournament ... meanwhile former Trailblazer Breann Hill went 10-of-10 at the charity stripe twice during the 2010-11 season (vs. Hawai'i Pacific 2/19/11; at Notre Dame de Namur 1/22/11).  
* - Gillen got off to a great start to her final collegiate season as she just missed her second career triple-double in the opener vs. La Verne (11/6), against which she tallied a game-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, to go with a career-high 11 rebounds and eight assists.
* - Gillen followed that up with a game-high 24 points in the Jax State (11/9) win ... her 24 points were two off of her career high of 26 set nearly one year ago to the day in a home win vs. Utah State (11/15/22).
* - Gillen has now scored in double figures in 66 career games with 21 20-plus point outings.
* - Macie Warren has scored in double figures in eight of her nine starts this season, highlighted by a season-high 26 points in the loss to CBU (12/6) ... Warren posted season highs in both field goals (10) and 3-pointers (5 - t-career high) made as she connected on 10-of-17 from the floor, 5-of-11 from beyond the arc.
* - Warren's 26 points were three points shy of her career high of 29 points, which she tallied nearly one-year-ago-to-the-day in a road win at Air Force (12/10/22). 
* - Warren then went for 20 points in the Weber State loss last Saturday on 8-of-13 shooting with three 3-pointers. 
* - Warren posted her third double-double of the season, and career, in the WAC season-opener at Utah Valley (12/2) with 12 points and a career-high tying 10 rebounds.
* - Warren also pulled down 10 boards and led all scorers with 16 points in the New Hampshire win (11/22), 
* - Warren narrowly missed her first collegiate triple double in the La Verne win (11/6), though she did notch her first career double-double with 19 points, a career-high 10 assists and seven rebounds.
* - Meanwhile, twin sister Maddie Warren led four Blazers in double figures with 19 points in the win at UVU (12/2) ... Warren went 4-of-8 from the perimeter and pulled down a career-high tying eight rebounds. 
* - The redshirt-sophomore guard enjoyed a three-game stretch last month that saw her score at least 20 points in each of those starts, including a pair of 20-point outings against Jax State (11/9) and at UNLV (11/14).
* - Warren also led all scorers with a season-high 21 points at TAMU-C (11/20), against which she went 8-of-15 from the floor with a career-high tying five 3-pointers, and picked off a career best four steals ... additionally her eight FGM were also a career high.  
* - Warren's five treys matched her previous career high she first tied exactly two years earlier in a home win vs. Antelope Valley (5-of-10; 11/20/21) ... she also hit five 3FG in her collegiate debut vs. Life Pacific (5-of-8; 11/9/21) on her way to a career-high 22 points.
* - Maggie McCord enjoyed a solid Turkey Week, during which she averaged 15.0 points on 55.6 percent shooting (15-of-27), including 57.1 percent from the perimeter (12-of-21), along with 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals in Utah Tech's three games.
* - McCord began the week by scoring 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting (3-6 3FG), with four rebounds and two assists at TAMU-C (11/20) ... she followed that up with her first double-double of the year in the win at New Hampshire (11/22), going for 11 points with three more three pointers and a co-game high 10 rebounds.
* - Then in the win at Stonehill (11/25), McCord led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting with six 3-pointers (6-of-9) ... she also grabbed a co-game high eight rebounds, and had two assists and a steal ... her six treys were two off of her school record-tying eight she drained at Seattle U (2/26/22) during the 2021-22 season.
* - McCord accounted for all six of Utah Tech's points in the first quarter at Utah Valley (12/2) on her way to 13 points on the day ... McCord also grabbed five boards and dished out four assists, which matched her career high she recorded exactly nine-months-to-the-day at, coincidentally, Utah Valley (3/2/23) in the 2022-23 regular season finale. 
* - Calyn Dallas replaced Gillen in the starting lineup at New Hampshire (11/22), and the freshman responded with a pair of 3-pointers for six points to go with four rebounds, one assist and one steal in 30 minutes.
* - Dallas kept the hot shooting touch going at Stonehill, against which she knocked down a career-best four 3-pointers on her way to a career-high 16 points off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting ... she followed that up with two more treys for six points at UVU last Saturday.
* - Dallas made the most of her Trailblazer debut as she poured in 15 points in 24 minutes off the bench in the La Verne win (11/6) on 5-for-5 shooting with three 3-pointers.
* - Alyson Deaver put together her overall best game in a Trailblazer uniform vs. CBU (12/6), posting career highs with eight points and eight rebounds in nearly 22 reserve minutes ... she followed that up with five points and three boards before fouling out vs. Weber State.  
* - Twin sister Catelyn Deaver enjoyed her best game as a Trailblazer in the La Verne win (11/6) with a career high nine points, along with four rebounds and two blocks.
* - Deaver would rival that effort at TAMU-C (11/20) with a career-high tying two blocks, a career best seven boards, and six points in 28 reserve minutes ... the sophomore then went on to grab seven more caroms at Stonehill (11/25). 
* - Caitlynn Jordan spurred on the strong Blazer first quarter at Stonehill (11/25) by scoring all seven of her points consecutively last in the period, and finished with four rebounds in 12-plus reserve minutes.  
* - Jordan put together a solid outing at UVU (12/2), knocking down a pair of clutch 3-pointers for six points and grabbed four rebounds in nearly 15 minutes off the bench. 
* - Nicole Willardson, who has started in each of the last seven games, recorded career highs of six rebounds and three assists, and poured in four points at Stonehill (11/25) ... she also tallied four points with a blocked shot at UVU. 
* - Bolstered by Gillen's perfection at the foul line, Utah Tech shot a season-best 94.4 percent (17-of-18) at the stripe in the Weber State loss. 
* - Utah Tech connected on 58.4 percent of its field goal attempts (45-of-77) vs. La Verne (11/6), which was the fifth-highest single game field goal percentage in program history.
* - Utah Tech's 45 made field goals tied a program single game record that was set all the way back in the 2015-16 season in a home win vs. Chaminade (1/5/16). 
* - Utah Tech outrebounded La Verne 57-32, and finished with 27 assists on its 45 made field goals ... the 27 dimes are the sixth-most in a single game in program history.
* - Utah Tech held Jax State to just 27.8 percent shooting (20-of-72), which included an 11-of-40 clip (.275) from the perimeter.
* - The Blazers were just as stingy vs. La Verne, limiting the Panthers to 25.0 percent (19-of-76) from the floor in that game. 
* - Overall, Utah Tech has held three of its first nine opponents below 30 percent shooting (all wins) ... for context, Utah Tech only held two total opponents to under 30 percent shooting all of last season. 
 
BLAZING A TRAIL TO GREECE: In preparation for the 2023-24 season, Utah Tech embarked on its first-ever foreign trip this past August when the Trailblazers traveled to Greece. 
            The trip included tours of the Kallimarmaro Olympic Stadium, which was the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, the Acropolis of Athens and its museum, and a boat excursion to the Greek islands of Hydra, Poros and Aegina. 
            The Trailblazers won a pair of exhibition games while on the trip, the first came against the Amilia Peristeriou Basketball Club in a 119-45 on August 12, followed by an 88-68 victory over the Athens All-Stars on August 14. 
            Per NCAA rules, college teams are allowed to make an international trip once every four years. Additionally, the team is allotted an extra 10 practices in preparation for the trip.
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will host of the program's first NCAA Division-I multi-team event (MTE) - the inaugural Utah Tech Trailblazer Classic - this upcoming Tuesday-through-Thursday, Dec. 19-21, inside the Burns Arena.
            The Trailblazers will play two Power-5 opponents over the first two days of the Classic, beginning with a match-up against PAC-12 power Oregon on Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. Utah Tech will turn right back around on Wednesday to face Big-12 member Oklahoma State on Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m.
            The Classic will then wrap up on Thursday with Oregon and Oklahoma State squaring off at 2 p.m.